


Rose Ink

by AdequatelyOurs



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alpha/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Blake is a milf, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Soulmates, Tattoo Shop AU, There be spice, adding as i go, in which Blake is a mom and Yang just wants to run her shop
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:33:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26399482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdequatelyOurs/pseuds/AdequatelyOurs
Summary: ///Blake couldn’t help the natural reaction or the attraction.She’d just blame it on hormones and the fragrance Yang was giving off later.Nevertheless, that didn’t negate that she was being rude.“Excuse me, but I don’t think I heard you right. Did you just tell me to get the fuck out of your office, Yang?”Yang covered her eyes in shades as she was staring, so Blake couldn’t read them for a clear reaction anymore, but she was pretty sure it was her use of her name that gave her pause.///
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 30
Kudos: 128





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Me? Glad you asked. Nothing much, just another fic that quarantine spit out, how about you?

“Get up, lazy.”

“Ughh.” Yang peeked up into the harsh light the morning sun wreaked in her bedroom. It was her daily dose of ‘white shades: fail.’ She really needed to see about darker paint, or curtains, or something equally drastic. She was not good with mornings, especially those that came after long nights with bottles.

“Come on, Yang. You’re late. Again. Get up.”

“What time…” 

“Around noon, you asshole. You were supposed to open at ten...”

The Alpha groaned, swore, braced herself, and rolled up and out of bed. The throbbing vice on her frontal lobe intensified, and she took a moment with closed eyes to get a grip. This was not going to be her day.

But Coco was right—she needed to get into action. She’d been on a solid bender for…well, for a number of days, anyway. Long enough. Heart heavy with grief, she sent up a thought for her brother, Sun—whose birthday had recently passed—took a breath, and resolved to rejoin the living. Well, he wasn't her _real_ brother, not real biological family like her little sister Ruby was, but close enough. He was her pack-brother, though, that was all that mattered.

You didn't need the same DNA running through your body to be family. Summer taught her that.

“Yang, seriously, you gotta go in. There’s a girl is here, waiting on you with a baby. I’d let you sleep in longer, but this…Yang, you gotta get up and deal.”

She sighed internally. She really didn't feel like it today. Another person gone, more bad memories accumulating; It bothered her a lot, it was one of the main reasons she kept drinking excessively even after she promised to stop when her mom’s death was still fresh. 

Leaving seemed to be a recurring theme in her life.

Yang was still half-asleep, and full-on hung over. She wasn't in the mood to see anyone right now, but something clicked in her brain that sent her cells into action mode.

So she catapulted herself into a hot shower, which went pretty far in making her feel more human. By the time she got out, Coco was gone, but she had left her a lukewarm cup of dark roast. Not for nothing was she one of her favorite people right now.

She rooted around for clean clothes, fighting through her grogginess, but she thought she’d give it a shot anyway and power through.

Yeah, that didn’t work; and it was also definitely time to do laundry. She grabbed a tee, some ripped jeans, socks, boots, slipped on her leather jacket, and rolled out. 

By the time Yang made it to the shop, she was deeply regretting not having guzzled down a gallon of water and some painkillers the night before. That Strawberry Sunrise had no compassion.

Indoors at last, she was met by Weiss, guardian of the front desk. She was a short, platinum-haired woman, militant organizer of the highest realm, and she provided sass at no extra cost. Basically, she was about the best thing that had ever happened to the shop, _Rose Ink_ : home of her rebellious little pack, and they’d have been lost without her. She may have grown up with the life of a fancy rich girl, but now she was the epitome of rebelling.

But on this day, Yang was cursing her luck that she wasn’t still out at lunch when she arrived.

“Hmph. Look at what we have today, the blonde brute awakens. To what do we owe the honor?”

And so it begins.

“Hey to you too, Princess. And get me something for my head, would you?”

“Oh, is somebody suffering from a hangover because you never listen to the voice of reason? Yes, let me just rush off to take care of you when you brought this upon yourself.” She shook her own head at the taller girl. “You deserve it, honestly. You back, now?”

Chin down, she peered at her over the tops of her sunglasses, which she tipped down but protectively kept on her nose. “Yeah, I’m back.”

Weiss glared at her, then reached into a corner of her domain and pulled out a blessed bottle of pain killers. She tossed it to her as she headed to the back kitchen/staff room for what she hoped would be a bottle of water, giving her a pat on her way out.

She was a sassy little Omega, but it all stemmed from love. They were Weiss’ found family after all, considering her real one was full of terrible people.

Yang was looking over the schedule for the day—okay, she was procrastinating. She almost had no desire to meet with this woman and her mystery baby, if they were even still there.

When Weiss came back with the water, she answered her question. “Heads up. There’s a woman with a baby in your office. I believe she’s been waiting there for about an hour and a half, now. Have something to tell us?”

”Very funny. So, what’s this woman’s name?”

“Didn’t get one. She insisted on seeing you, I notified her that you weren’t in yet, she said she knew your office was in the back and made her own way there. I don’t know who this woman is but I am _not_ getting in the middle of any lovers’ tiff. You really should refrain from mixing business with pleasure, Yang.”

At that moment, the baby began to add in its two cents, as if on cue. It sounded like a catfight, but worse, since it came from the direction of her office. Her space. Her territory. This did not help her hangover. It was time to get this over with and regain her peace.

”Yo, boss lady, good, you’re here.” Coco poked her head out from behind the glass separating the artists’ stations from front reception. “You gotta go get your behind back there. Go deal with it, okay?” She slapped her arm and retreated to her station.

This explained the coffee drop and home-visit intervention, then—light dawned.

She popped back a couple–okay, _three_ – pills, took a long sip of water, and headed back. She’ll just make this quick. Whatever she wanted, was not her problem. She’d already decided, and that was that.

The crying got louder as Yang got closer, but stopped just as she arrived at the door. She heard her heave a deep sigh, then she strode in.

The first she saw of her was the back of her head, her long and wavy raven hair held up high in a ponytail, with a couple of curls escpaing.

She was an Omega, _that_ , she knew for sure. Her scent hit her almost immediately, smelling of anxiety and honey. 

Her mind was already wracked to figure out who she was. The scent wasn't familiar.

The girls she’d been with in the last year or two were few and far between, and she would’ve recognized her.

But from this angle, she couldn't really make out the baby’s features or the rest of hers.

The woman had, appropriately, seated herself in one of the two chairs facing her desk. The other was covered with her stuff. She’d come loaded down, her bags exploding with blankets and baby paraphernalia. She noticed the items were colored with blacks, whites and purples. She took note of the good taste, and filed it. Maybe this woman was rational. Maybe this would be quick. It gave her hope.

Best to make this fast anyway. Whatever unique scent she had was making the wolf inside of her antsy.

Still standing at the door, holding it open for her, Yang went for polite first. “I don’t know who you are or why you’re here, but you got the wrong person. Time for you to go. Get the fuck out of my office.”

Letting her Alpha side speak wasn't always a good idea but, hey, she didn't feel like dealing with this anyway.

•••

Tired and _so_ sore, her arms heavy with her cub, Blake was just breathing a sigh after getting him to latch on and relieve them both: him, of his hunger, and to relieve her of her headache from his hangry-crying.

Breastfeeding was not the easiest thing to do in public spaces. She was still learning how to adjust, and comfort was not always attainable without the huge nursing pillow, which was way too big and awkward to carry around outside. So she held him as best as she could, with a light, purple blanket draped from over her shoulder to shield the view, should anyone show up.

Damn it, she knew she should have called first to see if Yang was here, but that wasn’t really an option, seeing as she was currently coasting without a scroll. But once she had made the decision that today was the day, she had forced herself to go through with it. So she waited, uncomfortable as it may have been. She was finally doing this.

Truth: she _wanted_ to do this. She wanted Li to know where his roots were. With Sun gone, he only had Blake. The only thing connecting him to Sun were his pack. It was fair, and it was right. And Sun would’ve wanted it too. She hadn't know him all that well, he wasn't her mate and she wasn't marked, but _that_ much she knew in her heart.

Gods, she hoped Yang was as good as Sun made her out to be. She was really starting to have her doubts. The way the people in this shop had looked at her and Li was not very friendly-like. And she could feel the smirks all around, even though she had placed herself so she didn't have to see them. She could smell the musky aroma of Alphas around too, sizing her up, scenting her, knowing she was an Omega.

They, in turn, couldn’t see her discomfort, either or how her ears flattened against her head. She hoped they saw only a woman who was trying to do right by her child with no ulterior motive. That was what she was attempting to put out anyway—strong spine, strong gaze, and completely in charge of all chaos that is baby.

The front area of the shop had been warmly lit with huge windows welcoming in the morning sunshine. On the right was a large glass cabinet-countertop, featuring assorted piercings and sketches and stuff you’d find in shops the world around. To the left was a seating area with a black leather sofa, loveseat, and armchair set, and coffee and end tables topped with ink mags and huge, overstuffed, three-ring portfolio binders.

The walls were covered in tat art, too. It wasn’t a huge space, but it looked like the shop went deep. A window-topped partition wall divided the front from the workstations inside, to which a glass door served as entry. It was pretty much what one would expect of any decent tattoo parlor; not noticeably too fancy, but also not some shack.

For his part, Li had done an excellent job when they came in. He had been awake and alert—a bonus, from her perspective. His big, amber eyes were so much like hers, except they were a tad brighter. Or maybe her own just had the life sucked out of them years ago.

Both the white-haired Omega behind the glass counter and the tattooed Alpha who adorned a beret, who had been leaning on the counter chatting with the other, had taken good long looks at her child before sharing a surprised, silent communication between themselves. She’d thought that was a good sign.

And then one looked at her with a load of suspicion and the other seemed to be...anger? She could smell some hostility along with sweet vanilla and musky coffee.

“Can I help you?” The white-haired woman’s voice was hard, her words shooting at her prissily.

“I’m here to see Yang... Yang Xiao-Long.”

“You don’t have an appointment.” That much she knew.

“No, I don’t. I was hoping she could just give me a few minutes. Is she in?”

“Actually, no, she’s not.” She shot a glare at the other brunette woman. “But she _should_ be.”

The brunette shoved her chin out, and took in a deep breath. She’d been staring at Li’s little face, but now looked at her with steel in her eyes.

“She’ll be here. But it might be awhile.” She watched her, sized her up like some of the other Alphas, as if determining her resolve.

“I’ll wait. Her office is in the back, right? I’ll just wait there.” Blake wanted to get away from them and their prying eyes. What she had to say had only to do with Yang. Li was not for public consumption.

Also, she didn’t want her baby out in this space for long. He was still so little, so fragile. Her maternal protectiveness was up in full steam, her being an Omega only amped that up ten-fold and they’d only been in the shop for less than two minutes. No way did she want to be hanging out in front, with its swinging doors, for however long “awhile” might take.

So she powered past the two guardians and marched through the large middle section of the shop—the inking stations. She could see a central door in the back, leading to what had to be Yang’s office. She didn’t hear either of them try to stop her, so she figured everybody was okay with her executive decision.

Yang’s office was a cramped mess: overhead fluorescent bar lighting—with the accompanying hum from hell; wood paneling, like a basic old basement; a tall gray metal filing cabinet with papers stacked and unstacked around and on top of it; and a matching desk with fake wood laminate top, likewise covered with paper.

Blake peered at what was easily visible and saw a lot of spreadsheet tables and tattoo art. Half-buried under all that, there was a keyboard and flat-screen monitor, and a random assortment of paperclips and pencils served as toppings. About the only thing missing was organization.

If the office was any reflection of who she was, that was probably a bad sign. She did the best she could to situate herself comfortably with Li, using the second chair facing the desk for her load of baby gear. All things considered, they had what they needed for a while, and she settled in to wait.

It took forever. She was getting sore, and it was all she could do to keep Li from fussing every time the tattoo guns fired on. Thankfully, someone had come over soon after they’d settled in the office and shut the door behind her, apparently aware that the noises might trigger other, unwelcomed, noises from their direction. So at least there was that barrier, plus some small measure of privacy for her and Li.

Blake took a deep breath and focused back on her baby. No matter what, she and him would be okay. They would. They had to be. Her child was a fighter, more than she was, and had made it this far. They’d get through this, too, one way or another.

She was getting fidgety herself, waiting so long for Yang to show up. She wondered what the issue was. The white-haired woman up front had seemed pissed at her absence as well. There was a story there, she was sure. Whatever it was, the faunus woman seemed confident that Yang would be showing up at some point, so she resigned herself to bide the time.

But she was getting steamed, herself, even though she knew she had no idea she’d been popping in out of nowhere. Rationally, she had no reason to get upset but she couldn't help it.

Suddenly, Blake felt a whoosh at her back, and she could feel a strong, bright presence there, smelling of spicy citrus.

Even though she had yet to lay eyes on her, her energy radiated in a way that put her whole being on alert. Her scent was agitating her wolf within. Since Li was nursing, she forced herself to stay still and calm.

And then her voice, low, tired and dangerous, reached her ears, making one flick.

”I dunno who you are or why you’re here, but you got the wrong person. Time for you to go. Get the fuck outta my office.”

Her jaw nearly dropped and she was glad Yang could only see the back of her at the moment. 

She was aware that some Alphas could be aggressive or mean but she didn't feel like she was in harm’s way. And by the way Sun talked about her, she knew she couldn't be a bad person.

At least she _hoped_ she wasn't.

She was used to being treated as a lesser person by Alphas, though, so nonetheless she kept her guard up.

Still, things were not off to a good start. Her throat tightened and a nervous scent uncontrollably released from her.

Blake didn’t get up; she couldn’t, really. But her body must have jerked, and Li had unlatched, and he started to cry. She wasn’t sure what to do: get the baby back onto her, or stand up and face off with the red-eyed woman in their midst.

She decided on the latter.

As gracefully and quickly as she could—and it wasn’t very much of either, with baby in her arms—she adjusted her bra and re-settled her top, stood up, and turned to see the woman herself.

Yang seemed to have a towering height. Everything about her made her feel small. She was more fit than she had any right being. She probably lived in a gym when she wasn’t here at the shop. She was gorgeous too, even the bright lavender hue of her eyes were beautiful. Her long, blonde hair was luminous and golden. What skin she could see was tanned. Her full lips were pulled into a frown. It was absolutely not the time, but she was pretty sure she blushed. She couldn’t help the natural reaction _or_ the attraction.

She’d just blame it on hormones and the fragrance Yang was giving off later.

Nevertheless, that didn’t negate that she was being rude.

“Excuse me, but I don’t think I heard you right. Did you just tell me to get the fuck out of your office, Yang?”

Yang covered her eyes in shades as she was staring, so Blake couldn’t read them for a clear reaction anymore, but she was pretty sure it was her use of her name that gave her pause. 

Li, by this time, was in a full-on squall. She glared at Yang, grabbed her things from the other chair, shoving a blanket and rattle back into the bag one-handed, muttering the whole time. ”Alphas...jerk.”

She slung the bag on her shoulder and turned her attention back to Yang. “For your information, I _don’t_ have the wrong person. You _are_ Yang Xiao Long? Yes? So, no. I’ve got the right one. But it seems you aren’t the woman I thought you would be. This is Li. This is your pack-brother Sun’s baby. I thought you might like to meet him, maybe even get to know him when he grows up.” She broke off, and tears threatened to pour. “If he grows up.”

She hated how weak and dramatic she sounded, but this was their truth. She needed to be honest about this, to keep herself braced. She fought to keep her voice from choking—but she didn’t stop. ”I need your help, Yang—but obviously, you don’t care. Okay. Fine. Sun told me you were this great person, which, it turns out, is not the case. So, no, I don’t want my son to know you then. I’ll find another way, you ass. Congratulations, Yang, you are getting your wish. We’re leaving. And fuck you, too.”

As she said, she was feeling a _bit_ emotional these days.

Yang hesitated before she backed up enough for Blake to charge out of her space. She was a little surprised, though, any other Alpha would’ve most likely had a problem with her talking to them like that.

She was mid-way through the shop before she realized that she was playing this all wrong. She couldn't just run away.

Yang was right on a majorly important point: she didn’t know her, she’d never seen her before, and she was there at her own instigation. She was there because she needed her—no, Li needed her—well, in any case, _they_ needed her, and it was her responsibility to slow down, back it up, and get her to hear what she’d come to say.

Yang had had no warning, no indication of Li’s existence up until today, she was pretty sure. Plus, she really needed to meet her godchild. She had to give this–give _Yang_ – a second chance, jerk or not.

She was slowing her pace with each passing step, but she was still on the verge of more hormonal tears, and this was not how she wanted this to go down. So, she kept walking to the front desk, hoping she’d make it out of the shop before she had an absolute anxiety attack. She figured she’d have herself a little cry, get herself under control, and then go back in to try again, _hoping_ that she listens.

She didn’t make it out.

The snow-haired guard watched Blake as she got closer—she clearly had heard some of the confrontation, and she saw everything in her face as she made her way up front. Even before she got there, she’d grabbed some tissues and came out from behind her counter. As soon as she breached the partition wall, she took hold of her freer upper arm and steered her to the loveseat, gently pushing her down to sit and taking the bag from her shoulder.

“I cannot believe what an asshole she is sometimes.” She looked into her amber eyes, reassuring her that she was on her side. She allowed the calming scent she released to soothe her. Blake was still totally confused at this point. Shouldn't she hate her too? Was this some kind of Omega solidarity?

But the tears had already started to rain down her face, and poor Li was crying so hard from the movement—and she’s sure he could sense her troubles as well—so with some embarrassment, she accepted the tissues to wipe her face.

The suddenly-nice woman pulled a fast one and swept Li from her arm, settling him comfortably and capably in the body cradle. She was obviously experienced with babies, somehow, despite the fact that there was nothing about her that might suggest it besides Omegas having maternal personalities. She was smiling and cooing at him, giving his suckling mouth the tip of her pinkie finger to suck, and watching his face closely as he closed a tiny fist around it. She looked up at her quickly, and noted Blake’s expression of horror.

“Don’t worry, my hands are clean and I’m experienced enough. Also, I’ve been anti-bacterializing for the past two hours, hoping I’d get a chance to hold him. Gods, he’s absolutely adorable!”

That was her cue for a light laugh. She was relieved, sure, at the drop in anxiety in the room, but she also had a tendency to laugh sometimes when she was nervous. She did not know what she was doing, or how to fix it. So she chuckled, and composed herself a little bit, watching her boy in this unknown woman’s arms, biting her lower lip and at a complete loss for her next step.


	2. Chapter 2

  
Her godchild? It was a lot of information to process.

_Sun’s baby?_

Where the fuck was she when all this happened?

She could feel her own eyes burning— _Dammit, Sun._

And this woman, this random woman, who showed up out of _nowhere_ —this week of all times—to present him to her? 

She was not going to cry. Her tears for people had long since ran out as dreadful things just kept happening.

Yang took off her aviators and rubbed her face, getting a grip.

Okay, so _maybe_ she jumped the gun with ordering the woman out of her office before hearing her out. She’d own that. Weiss had already told her she needed to get better control over herself.

That baby had a loud set of lungs. Apple didn’t fall far, she guessed, presuming the woman wasn’t lying. If that was really Sun’s son. But there was no question in her mind now—she needed more information. She needed more time with her to hear her story, to see if what she said was true.

Once she was sure she had gotten her eye problem under control, she looked up front, expecting to see nothing out of the ordinary, but hoping…ah! _She hadn’t left yet. Ha. She didn’t get very far at all, did she? Nope._ She could only see the top half of her head, this time looking up with a kind of strange look in those amber eyes. It was clear she had been crying, but now there were no tears, and her expression was caught somewhere between wonder, confusion, happiness, and misplacement.

Weiss, on the other hand, looked…maternal and ridiculously happy. It looked weird. She had the baby in her arms and was smiling and cooing at it, rocking her body to soothe him, she surmised. She definitely found _her_ weakness.

Yang slowly made her way to reception, resettling the shades on her nose to shield the glare from the picture windows. Alas, her head was still pounding. There was too much going on.

She leaned against the partition wall in the doorway and crossed her arms over her chest, just taking in the faunus on the loveseat. She really was gorgeous. Everything about her was soft-looking. She knew already that she had some backbone, and a good bark when riled. But it was nice to observe this other side for a minute—to see her more relaxed as she gazed at Weiss enjoying a moment with the baby.

Amber eyes slowly shifted over to her, and there went the moment. She stiffened her spine and stood up, watching Yang for any indication of a renewed attack. She wasn’t going to give it to her.

Blake seemed like she expected something, and judging by the anxiety coming off of her she had an inkling of what it was. 

Yeah, generalizing people based off of a few bad apples wasn't ideal...but Alphas being belligerent wasn't exactly false. It was just a reality for a majority.

She might have had a temper but she prided herself on having better control of her wolf than most. 

Operative word being ”most” here.

“You’re still here,” Yang stated, not unkindly.

“As you can see.”

“Maybe we should start over. I’m Yang...uh, as you already seem to know. You are…?”

“Oh. Yeah. Um, Blake. Blake Belladonna.”

Slowly, with some trepidation, Blake made her way forward and took her extended hand briefly, and then, suddenly, everything was _on fire_.

It was like a lightning bolt had struck between them. Her eyes flashed without warning, to her utter shock, and her wolf was agitated, banging the bars of its cage.

She had no idea what _the fuck_ was going on, but luckily it ended almost as quickly as it started.

Blake hastily dropped her hand, and her face flushed again, seemingly just as surprised.

Yang watched her for a second, then looked over at the baby, reminding herself that she was—or rather, might be—the mother of Sun’s baby. Therefore, for what seemed like far too many reasons to count, she was not an option, despite the attraction. And despite her wolf freaking out over her, which she’s choosing to ignore.

She knew for sure that it was mutual. No way did she not feel that too. But she wouldn’t go there, not with her at least.

It was better to get straight to the point.

“Okay, Blake Belladonna, wanna come back to my office so we can talk?”

“Yeah. I’d like that.” She gave her a little smile. She found that she liked her smile. She liked what it did to her face. She wanted to see more of that. And she liked hearing her name from her lips. She _really_ liked her voice—soft, as smooth as the honey she smelled like.

And... she was smart enough to tell when it wasn't her in control. She didn't need to think like that. Actually, she would _love_ to not think like that but that side of her apparently said otherwise and there wasn't much to be done about it.

About her having more control than most? That was a lie.

Blake said she needed her help. Well, they’d have to see first about figuring out how to tell if she was being honest, and then go from there.

On the other hand, if he really was Sun’s, that would be…astounding. Amazing. Incredible. They’d have a little part of their pack-brother, living, breathing, _here_. Sun didn't have any biological family left. Li would be only Wukong left. It was really too much to process.

Yang caught herself staring at the baby. Thinks she’d also been staring at her, at Blake, too. Good thing her eyes were still covered. She glanced back at her. “Well, come on back, then.”

She held the door for her as she gathered her bag and her baby, then followed her back to the desk. Weiss actually pouted before she let the kid go.

Once she had settled herself in the chair, and Yang in hers, she just sat there looking at the baby in her arms. Blake knew she was trying to see Sun in him, but she didn't know. Li had dropped off to sleep, and he just looked like a baby—any baby.

She figured it was time to move on.

“Okay, so...look. I don’t know you. Sun never said anything to us about you. Sorry, but it’s true. Did he know you were pregnant? Did he know about him? I think he would have told someone. So, how do I know that what you’re saying is true?”

She wasn't trying to be rude but she wasn't exactly quick to give people her trust, especially if it involved her pack. She was protective of her family. Everyone came from different walks of life and have been burned before, she wouldn't let it happen to anyone again.

All they had were each other, after all.

Blake had come prepared for this, and that quickly became obvious. “Fine. There’s a test I can do that uses Dust properties that’ll confirm everything.”

She’d never heard of that before.

She went on. “It’s a DNA match that’ll specifically target Li and Sun’s Y-chromosomes, using the DNA stored in the CCT genetic information system. Considering a majority of you all had been arrested before, and had information stored, it wasn't hard to find out about it. They’ll only be comparing the two chromosomes. His and Li’s.” Blake was looking down at her baby with a little smile—mother in love—and fortunately missed her suspicious stare.

“So, what? You were digging through our records or something? How would you even know any of that?”

She looked back up. “I didn't _dig_ through anything. I asked around. Using that and what Sun had told me before, I made a hypothesis and it turned out to be true.” 

“Alright, I’ll believe you. For now. But if I find out you’re lying about all of this...”

“I’m _not_ \- I... Whatever.”

Blake side-eyed her and sighed deeply.

Again, suspicious lilac eyes scanned her face for any sign of deception. If the ears atop her head wasn't so expressive, she’d be exceedingly harder to read. 

She found herself trying not to drown in a sea of molten gold.

“…so we can get right on that, we just need to order the kit and…”

Yang tore her eyes away from amber. “Wait, wait, what? I kind of missed some of that.”

To her surprise, a small smirk formed on Blake’s face. Just the slightest tilt of lips that looked out of her control. “You seem a bit distracted.”

She didn't know why she felt the need to say it or where the boldness came from, but before she knew it, her mouth already had a mind of its own.

“Would it help if I was admiring a beautiful thing?”

“Oh, and she’s a charmer, too. It’s my _lucky_ day.” She deadpanned.

“It could be.” Yang wiggled her eyebrows at her, and she blushed some more and looked down—and then she cursed herself again. She had no business flirting with this woman. The scent of honey kept invading her entire being and it was getting increasingly harder to focus. It was even harder to push down her instincts. She had to get herself under control.

Getting back to the point, Yang repeated, “So we do this test first, right? You okay with that?”

She didn’t look thrilled—the blonde got the feeling there was something more she wasn’t telling her—but Blake nodded shortly and directed her to a website for the testing lab.

After placing the online order, she didn’t let her off the hook. Leaning back in her chair, Yang leveled her eyes on her across the desk. “So, what aren’t you telling me?”

Blake looked surprised, like she thought she was being sly and thought that she wouldn’t have noticed. Blake had a lot to learn about her. She didn’t get played. If she thought she could fool her, she had another thing coming.

“I…I don’t know what you mean…” She fidgeted with the baby blanket, which didn’t need adjusting. Li had already fallen asleep.

“Mhm. There’s something.”

One of her ears twitched, but otherwise kept her mouth shut. Pursed, in fact.

“Okay. Be like that. When do we get these results?”

“In about two weeks, I’m pretty sure. So, the kit should arrive tomorrow…I guess I’ll see you. We’ll come back here in the afternoon, okay?” She started to get her stuff sorted again, and looked like she was beyond ready to leave.

Oddly, she didn’t want her to go—not just yet. She wanted a few minutes of…she wasn’t sure. Maybe just more time with her? She liked her presence. She couldn't really explain it.

It was not a good sign. She felt a magnetic pull to her—which could prove problematic—but she was an Alpha, Blake was an Omega, it was normal. Except it didn't _feel_ normal. Yang scrambled her brain for something to continue the conversation.

“Hey, listen, we should exchange numbers, in case anything comes up. I wanna know I can get in touch with you. And for you, too, if you need anything.” She was babbling. She shut herself up, but looked at her expectantly.

She was being nice, but it didn't mean she wouldn't keep an eye out.

“Oh, yeah. Um, I don’t actually have a scroll, so that won’t work. Uh, I guess I could find you here at the shop if I need you, right?”

“You don’t have a scroll? It’s basic life and security. You’re a mother. You gotta have a scroll. _Some_ form of communication at least.”

Blake was ready to go, so Yang stood up and started following her through the shop. “Weiss, I’ll be back in a bit,” she called out as she caught up to the faunus and put an arm across her shoulders, pinning her to her side so she couldn’t just run away. No way was she going to up and disappear on her now. Not like this. She didn’t even have a scroll. 

“Is this a money thing?” Yang looked down at her, but she mostly just got a view of her hair and the baby on her shoulder.

“Um…yeah, right now it is.” Clearly, she was not excited to share the reality of her financial plights, but she was smart enough not to try to lie to her about it. She’d said she came to her because they needed her help. If Li really was Sun’s, she was more than willing to do what she could.

“Okay. I’ll take care of that, first thing. We’ll get you a scroll, right now. Shit, I came in on my bike. Where do you live? I’ll go pick up a scroll, bring it over to you.”

By this time, they were outside the shop and headed down the sidewalk toward where she assumed Blake had parked her car. She stopped, though, and turned to Yang, taking a step back at the same time. She would not meet her eyes. “That’s... really nice of you. Li and I can just wait here though, in my car, if it’s all the same to you. You don’t have to go more out of your way.”

She gestured to an old, black car that had not seen a good day in decades. The thing was a clunker on its last hope and prayer. Yang got skeptical, and her voice went hard. “Tell me where you’re staying, Blake.”

“Just outside of town. It’ll really be easier if we just wait for you here, then we’ll get out of your hair.”

That was not good enough. Yang stepped in close to her and leaned down, putting her mouth to her ear, and whispered, “Blake, I’m gonna ask just one last time. Where. Are. You. Staying?”

Several ominous moments beat the time in her ears like a drum. Her scent was filling her nose, right near her neck, and she thinks she swayed a little bit. She would not back down, though. Blake needed to know that.

She could feel her answer before she heard it, and she could barely hear it at all when Blake whispered back, “In the car.” Her head was hanging low, and Yang about saw red.

“What? No fucking way.” The blonde was staring her down with anger and incredulity. How did she think that was an okay place for her to be caring for her baby, or even herself—living in a piece of metal, parked on the edge of town? “No you’re not. Hand me your keys.”

•••

To be honest, Blake was embarrassed. She felt shame telling Yang about her temporary living situation—if you could even call it that—to the point where she didn’t see it coming when she suddenly had her keys in one hand, and started steering her toward her beat-up car.

She put Li down in his rear-facing car seat—and once again, like a daily mantra, wished blessings on the hospital and local police department for making sure she even had one, gratis, before they would let her take him home. Once she had Li tucked and belted in, Yang stood her ground by the opened driver’s side door and indicated that she should take the passenger side.

“I’m perfectly capable of driving my own car, thanks. You just direct me to where I’m going.”

Yang deadpanned, “You’re cute.” Then she folded herself into the driver’s seat and shut the door, leaving her no other option without making a scene. She figured there were probably bigger battles to be won down the road, so she shook her head and went around the vehicle. 

Things like that were usually what made Alphas annoying.

It was her confidence, her sureness. On her, she didn't find it as arrogantly annoying as most, though.

Once she was in and belted up, she took off, with way more care than she would have expected. Blake looked at her in surprise when Yang pulled to a full stop at a stop sign that was completely lacking in convergent traffic. Considering her biker looks and disposition, she’d have expected her to roll through the stop, at best. She caught her look.

“What? There’s a baby on board. Safety first and all that.”

She didn’t think she had it in her. Blake smiled at her with appreciation.

“So where are we going, then?” The Faunus asked, fidgeting with her sleeve.

“My place. It’s not huge, but I have a spare bedroom, so from now until further notice, it’s your place, too. If you’re not lying then you’re one of us and we take care of each other. I wouldn't feel right letting you sleep in a car, let alone a piece of junk like this. Where’d you even find this? It’s scrap metal.”

“I didn't have a car...so I managed to get the cheapest one I could find a while back.”

It wasn't like she was able to bring any kind of luxuries with her. She regretted ever leaving her home.

“What’d you get it for? Two Lien?”

Blake laughed. “Close, but no. Also, fuck you.”

She gave her a smile. “You do know, though, that you should’ve traded this in back then, too, right?”

“Yeah, I’m aware. It just…it never really got high on the priorities list. It still runs. We do alright. And anyway, it’s not for much longer. I’m working on a way to get better sorted.”

It was true, but there were a lot of variables she was really not so sure about—some of which may or may not have depended on Yang herself. But there was no way she could make a judgment call on that the very first day they meet—so she’s not quite sure her voice rang with confidence when she laid out that claim.

Yang shook her head again. “Listen, from what you’ve shared so far, you aren't doing alright. Don’t pretend with me. Seriously. Do not try to sell me any shit. I will _not_ be buying it.”

And there went the humor from the car. The rest of the ride was silence.

After about a ten minutes’ drive, she pulled up to an average looking house. It wasn’t huge by any means, and the front yard was mostly sandstone gravel and rocks divided up by cement drive- and walk-ways.

There were a few hardy bushes, roses and aloes in front of the house. She wouldn’t have described the place as gorgeously landscaped, but it looked tidy—even kind of cute in its own way. It fit well into the neighborhood, which was similarly presentable. Nothing was lush or decked out, just solid and safe. It looked nice. And she hadn’t had nice in what felt like a long, long time.

Yang was waiting patiently for her to gather Li and his stuff when she asked her to pop the trunk and grab the bassinet, which she did, then let them all in through the front door. She hadn’t lied—there wasn’t a ton of space, but it was well-laid out, and the living area was filled with a comfortable-looking sofa and armchairs. It felt...safe. _She_ felt safe.

The room, like the small front hallway and the decently-sized kitchen, was littered with stuff: fast-food debris, pizza boxes, cans and bottles, etcetera, It was like she had some sort of party there.

Yang led them back into a short hallway off the living room, which featured four doors. They went to the room farthest to the right. It turned out to be the aforementioned extra bedroom with an under-inflated air mattress, air pump, stackable milk crates with assorted tools and papers stuffed in, random weights, and a contraption that looked like a vertical half-bench with ankle stabilizers a few feet below.

Blake eyed it questioningly. Yang caught her look and narrowed her eyes and said, “What?”

“That isn’t…?”

Now she was full-on smirking. “What do you think that is? Do you think that’s my crazy sex machine?” She laughed and came in close, angling behind her, and lowered her voice to a soft whisper. “What, are you into that, Blake?”

She suddenly had trouble breathing, and she had no idea how to respond. Was she serious? What was happening?

Her eyes must have been like saucers in her tomato-colored face. She was sure it was a _great_ look. But she was glued to the spot; she was completely affected by her nearness, and the scent that filled the air around them. Still, she needed to answer her, and she wouldn’t allow her wolf’s response to take over for her brain. “How am I supposed to know what you’re into, Yang? I just met you.” As true as that was, it didn't even _feel_ like they just met. Her wolf was telling her she’d known her for years, centuries, eons, and she almost believed it.

She continued. “So, you’re saying that’s…” She let her sentence hang, allowing Yang to take this wherever it would go. 

The blonde stared at her for a moment before breaking out into a laugh. “No, it’s not, but it has potential, doesn’t it?”

She blushed again, to her chagrin.

Yang stepped away. “It’s actually a gravity inversion table. My friend, Nora, gave it to me as a joke. Long story. It actually feels awesome. You should try it.”

Well, that sounded a _whole lot_ better than some sort of sex table, or whatever those things were called.

Still, Blake had no control of her thoughts—or anything, really—around her.

But that was not what she was here for. Yang was being more than kind by sharing her own home and giving her and her child a place to stay, a safe haven, for however long they would be here. Yang—difficult as she was—seemed to be a gift from the Brothers themselves, and she was grateful.

She was also mother to her pack-brother’s son, and if _that_ didn’t murkify the waters, she didn’t know what else could. Despite the fact that what she and Sun had shared was in no way a romance for the ages. It was a one-off, a night of comfort and convenience. Of letting off steam. Of protection, gratitude, and solidarity. And ultimately, of friendship.

So anything with her was off the table. That included both the literal inversion table, and the figurative one.

Being around her, with her citrus scent that called out to every instinct she had, was certainly not helping.

Suddenly, Yang was snapping her fingers in front of her face. “Blake? You listening?”

Oh. She’d completely zoned out into her thoughts. That happened sometimes. She blamed lack of sleep.

Blake tried to swat her hand away, but she was fast. She ended up looking even more ridiculous. So, naturally, she reddened again.

And _again_ , she noticed. Yang stepped close enough to dip her head and whisper in her ear, “You seem a bit _distracted_.” She smiled as she threw her own words back in her face.

The scent grew stronger and it smelled _good_. Her jaw dropped and she blushed even deeper. At the same time, she was desperately memorizing the moment.

 _No._ She forced herself to control her face, control her breath, and step away from the siren.

Thankfully, she had Li to use as a distractive device. She knew she was a horrible mother. Good mothers don’t use their babies as props. But Li was sleeping—he would never know.

So Blake turned to where Yang had put the bassinet on the floor, and single-handedly dug through her shoulder bag for a couple extra small blankets to line it with, before carefully setting Li inside, snug as a bug. He was breathing normally and his color looked satisfactory. Complacent, she finally turned her attention back to Yang, who had been patiently watching her deal with the baby. When she looked up at her face, she appeared pensive.

“’Kay. I’m gonna go pick up a scroll for you. I’ll bring it back, then I gotta get back to the shop. Don’t mess up anything, but, uh, make yourself comfortable, I guess. You need anything before I go?”

Blake shook her head. She had everything she’d need for Li and herself in the bag or in the car.

“I’m off. I’ll be back with the scroll. Any preference?”

Again, she shook her head. “Just don’t spend a lot of money. I don’t know when I’ll be able to pay you back.”

“I’m paying for it, I told you that. It’s fine, don’t worry about it right now. This one is on me.”

The faunus took a second to take a deep breath.

“Thank you.”

Yang looked at her for a moment, then just said, “Yeah.” And she left.

She took another quick tour of the house, just getting her bearings with bathrooms, closets, and living spaces, then set herself to work. She refused to be a free-loader, so she began with a search for large trash bags and got to work.

About forty minutes later, she was sorting through the laundry, making piles in the living room, when Yang came back with a plastic bag. She looked around bemusedly, as though surprised to see actual furniture and tabletops there, and a corner of her lips tilted, but she didn’t speak to it.

Shs tossed the bag on top of the laundry pile in front of her and said, “You’re all set. You gotta set it on the charger first before it’ll work right, so do that for now. When I get back later, we’ll hook you up with numbers so you’ll be good to go. For now, I’m at the shop, rest of the day. You have the house-CCT here. Shop number’s programmed in, just hold down the fort. Questions?”

Blake shook her head, and she was gone again, as quickly as she had come in.

She opened up the bag Yang had tossed down for her and discovered the newest model of the scroll she had been eyeballing for years. These things cost hundreds of Lien, and she had bought it for her like it was nothing. She could feel the tears begin to build up again, but forced them down as a silly, hormonal reaction to an Alpha showing her kindness for once.

After setting the scroll on top of the wireless charger, she went back to the laundry, and the cleaning, and then digging through the kitchen to cook something for dinner. Finding nothing there, she wiped down the counters one last time, then removed herself to her room to check on her son.

She finally— _finally_ —felt like they would be alright.


	3. Chapter 3

Yang had gotten home later than she’d planned—six days out on a bender, and it was like the whole world had descended on the shop. Invoices, bills, supply orders. Rinse and repeat.

Coco had taken care of the most urgent of tasks—again proving her worth as pack member and as one of her friends– No, a sister. 

Even if she ranked higher than her, Coco was still older and somewhat a mentor; Alpha solidarity and whatnot. She knew how it was. She was someone who had better control and wasn't afraid to hit Yang in the face if she got too aggressive. Not that it happened often. Sure, she didn't particularly like being restrained and being reminded that she was a ”Baby Alpha” and to ”Shut the fuck up and listen”, Coco was a valuable member, a good friend, actually an incredible artist with the ink, and self-proclaimed Queen of Lesbians. At first Yang hadn’t been sure what to make of her, but the better she got to know her, the more she loved just hanging out with her. She was loyal to her bones to the pack and they were lucky to have her in their ranks.

The afternoon had basically sucked. Yeah, she’d been busy, but she really didn’t want to be there. She still had a headache from her days and nights with the bottle. She needed more sleep, and she couldn’t stop thinking about Blake—mysterious, beautiful Blake—and Li, and Sun, and her head was spinning. She couldn’t make sense of any of it. She needed answers, and Blake was the only one who could provide them.

Realizing that there was likely no food in the house, she ordered a pizza for delivery and picked up some drinks before heading home.

When she finally got there, it was like stepping into an alternate universe. She’d seen earlier that Blake was straightening up her mess—which was thoughtful, as she was likely to wade through the junk for months otherwise due to the depressive state she’d been in. But Blake had _really_ cleaned. Like, shiny countertops and sinks. Vacuumed carpet and rugs. Even the windows and her bathroom mirrors were missing their smears. And it all smelled fresh, like lemon. She started to feel better immediately. Who knew a clean place could do that? It was all more organized than her mind at least.

But the woman in question, the angel of the evening, was nowhere to be found—at least, not in the common areas.

Yang changed her shirt and then made her way over to the door of the second bedroom, knowing she had to be in there with the baby, silent though they were. She knuckled the door lightly, not wanting to wake Li up, but loudly enough so if Blake was awake, she’d have some warning she was coming in.

She wasn’t awake. She was curled up on the air mattress on the floor, which she had somehow managed to outfit with sheets and blankets and a pillow, with her baby tucked close in her arms. They were cute together, and the sight moved her, somehow. Blake’s hair was unbound and floated around her head on the pillow, the soft curves of her body on display. Her face had lost all lines of stress.

She looked peaceful, and not like a wound-up ball of anxiety and stress. She couldn’t help but stare.

After several moments, amber eyes drifted open as if she sensed her presence in the room even in her sleep. It took her a minute, but she managed to get to a sitting position without waking the baby. She tucked him in with the comforter, placing a pillow between him and the edge of the mattress, and struggled a bit to get to her feet from the low ground.

“How long have I been out?” she asked. Like Yang would even know when she fell asleep.

“No idea. I just got back like a few minutes ago.”

“Oh, right. Um…” Blake looked around, a little bit lost. She figured her brain was still clouded. She was really pretty in her confusion. Yang was enjoying this a bit too much, and figured she had to shut herself down.

“I ordered us a pizza, should be here soon. You want a beer?”

“Yeah, that’d be good, thanks. And some water, if you don’t mind.”

“No problem.” She left Blake alone, to follow at her own pace. She obviously needed a few minutes to get fully conscious again.

The blonde got her a glass of filtered water from the sink, pulled two beers out, and brought them all out to the living room. After the pizza guy came, she set the food on the coffee table and settled herself on one side of the couch.

Blake came out not long after, her dark hair gathered into a messy bun, and she wandered to the couch as if still in a daze. When she sat, she looked around as if she had no idea what to do next. Yang leaned forward, grabbed the water from the coffee table, and handed it to her. She took it two-handed, like a little kid, and guzzled it back as if she’d spent days in the Vacuan Desert.

Which, she realized, she basically had, living in her car in summertime Vale City. Lucky for her, it was only March, and the heat of summer hadn’t hit yet. But what she was doing with Li was insane. The city would cook them up in the summer if they weren’t living in a real domicile with air conditioning. Plus, it was dry as fuck here, and she must have been suffering some level of dehydration.

First things first, Yang decided. “Eat up. We can talk after.” She nodded, and they applied themselves to the food. It didn’t take long—after her day, she nearly inhaled a half of the pie in short time. Blake only ate half as much, but they were both done and ready for beers within minutes. Then she got down to business.

“How long you been living in that pile of junk out there, Blake?” She asked, trying to keep her anger from boiling over with just the thought of it.

“Not long, really. Just a few days. We’ve been on the road for most of it.”

“On the road. Huh. Coming from where?”

“Just traveling through the Kingdom. I went back up there when…” she drifted off. She gave her a moment, but nothing else came out.

“When…?” She raised her eyebrows at Blake. She seemed to have some problems telling a story.

“Oh! Yeah, um, actually, I left soon after Sun…” This time she knew she wasn’t going to go on. And she knew what she was going to say, but wouldn’t. So Yang finished her sentence for her.

“…after he was killed.” Yang forced herself to say those words. She never let herself avoid them, or use euphemisms that sugar-coated reality. She saw her flinch, but didn’t have it in her to coddle her grief. She had too much of her own grief. And anger. She had a lot of anger about it.

“Yes. After that.”

“How did you know him?—I don’t mean, I mean, obviously—” Fuck. She was rambling again. She just wanted the full story.

Lucky for her, Blake seemed to automatically know what she meant, and she cut her slack. “You know where he visited for a while, Mistral City? I was bartending at the Malachite Bar when I lived there temporarily. He’d come in sometimes, we’d chat. He was nice. We got along. Your brother—he was a really good guy, you know?…He was a really good guy.” Her voice faded off and it was clear she was drifting in a memory.

“Yeah, he was. So, what, you and he were together then? For how long? ‘Cause, I gotta be frank with you, he never mentioned you. Sorry if that hurts, but it’s true. So seeing you today, and with the baby, it’s all…it doesn’t make much sense. I need more. I know for a fact he’d at least be careful.”

“Yeah, well…I’m not surprised he didn’t mention me. Except maybe as a friend? I don’t know. We really were just getting to be friends. You know, we got on well, and just casually, at the bar. But, uh…” She took a deep breath, then looked her right in the eye. “Okay, this is a long and odd story, and I need you to just bear with me through it, okay?”

“Got all night.” Why was she being so hesitant? It was all she could do not to yell out, “Just start talking!” But that seemed like it might be counter-productive. Yang shifted her jaw around to ease the tension.

“Okay. So, it started in Mistral. I don’t want to give you all the details, but I left there about a year ago, the first time. Well, not quite a year. In May, last year. Came to city, got a place, got a job, started working, then met Sun. That much you know. The thing is, I ended up bringing extra baggage with me, that I did not intend to bring. This guy—Adam—he’d been someone I knew, or had known, before. We had dated briefly, but things got weird, and then bad, and I broke it off really quickly, but he…”

“Let me guess. He didn’t want to let you go. Was he stalking you? He followed you here?”

“Yes, and yes. And one night at the bar, he saw me talking and laughing with Sun—nothing was even going on—but Adam, he got upset about it. And he got in Sun’s face, which was just stupid of him—you know how big your brother is—ugh, sorry! …was…” Her face started to crumble, and she turned away.

“Yeah, Blake. I know. It’s okay. Go on.”

Blake took a minute, then picked up again. “Well, Adam was spouting off a bunch of crazy things about me, just gaslighting about Sun being my next victim and me being a … you get the idea, right? Just a lot of unpleasantness. And Sun, even though he really didn’t know me, he got protective, and he stood up and just loomed over Adam—who’s not that small, he’s way bigger than me, but still, nothing compared to Sun—and he just laid into Adam. Didn’t take much, and Adam was on the floor. It’s all kind of jumbled now, in my head. I’m not sure how long Sun was hitting him, but by the end of it, Adam’s face was all messed up, and as an Alpha, he was humiliated. I’ll be honest, I was kind of glad to see it, and I was grateful to him even though I can handle myself. Adam had it coming. He’d had it coming for a long time. It was the first night in a bunch of months that I felt…safe.”

She got the picture. So Yang looked at her. “I get it.” She nodded. “I know him. So, following that, Sun would’ve made sure you got home and…”

Blake nodded back and gave her a tiny smile. “Yeah. And…But we weren’t like that. It was just that one night. He was really good to me, and I’ve been a mess for a while now. So after following me home and making sure I was okay, I asked him in for a drink, as a thank you. And we did some shots, and then…” She clearly didn’t want to finish that sentence, either.

“Yeah, I understand. But it still doesn’t all add up yet. Sun would be careful—”

“Things break sometimes.”

“Oh, Yeah…You weren’t on the pill?”

“Hi, personal question. And no, I wasn’t. But I am now. Any other intimacies you need me to share right now?”

“Hey, I’m just saying. It’s a fair question. Go easy.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. I’m not really used to answering to anybody else. Not anymore. You’re right. You deserve to know what’s what, and why. I want to be honest and open with you about it. I do. You just surprised me. I don’t even know why. Sorry.”

“Stop apologizing. It’s fine.”

They sat there a few minutes, each in their own thoughts. She was the first to break the silence again.

“So, after that night, you and Sun never…”

She shook her head with gusto. “No. Definitely not. No. Just that one night. Not that it was bad—but it wasn’t—no. No.”

Blake was flustered, and it was cute to watch. Her color started rising once more, and she was fidgeting with her sleeve again. She had some obvious tells and anxious ticks. It was close to hysterical, just to see her squirm.

But Yang was relieved to hear that she and him had not been in the midst of some crazy big love story, so she let her off the hook easily. She just needed to clarify one more thing before she’d be happy to end this conversation. “What about Sun? Did he want more with you? Or did he feel the same as you felt about the whole thing?”

She chuckled. Yang looked at her expectantly, her eyebrows raised.

Blake leaned in close to her, and shared, like it was an insiders’ secret, “His exact words were, ‘ _Blake, that was really great. Let’s never do it again.’_ ” She laughed, and it reverberated through her soul.

•••

It felt so good to laugh about Sun with someone who actually knew him—even more than that, someone who had loved him like family. It was a real connection with Li’s father, despite his death.

Blake felt a thousand times lighter, remembering how she and Sun had laughed and hugged after his perfect assessment of their crazy mistake.

_”It was never about that.”_

It had ended up being a beautiful mistake—because of what came after, but for the very same reason, she would never in her life— _ever_ —want to change the outcome. Despite all the fear and the problems and the worries and everything that had come with Li’s appearance in her world, he was now the center of her life, and she could not regret the connection with Sun that gave Li to her.

Yang didn’t share her laughter, but her eyes smiled back at her. She looked relieved, and she leaned in toward her as well. She got so close, she almost wondered if she was going to kiss her. Of course, Li chose that moment to announce his awakening, and Yang immediately backed off. Blake got up to tend to the little bawler.

She’d been in the room with Li through half of his nursing session when Yang appeared at the door, one arm raised above her head, leaning against the frame as she silently observed the ritual. She knew the door was open and hadn’t taken a blanket to cover herself and Li’s head as he fed. It wasn’t that she was some sort of exhibitionist to what was basically a stranger, but if she was truly to make herself at home there, this is how she would do it. It wasn't anything Yang hadn't _obviously_ seen before, being a woman herself, it was moreso the Omega pheromones that came with the task and Yang being an Alpha. It was risky. 

Especially judging by the way she imperceptibly scented the air around her, but Yang remained collected. 

Also, she maybe wanted Yang to come in, to see them, to see her.

It almost seemed like, dare she say, a domestic moment and the Omega inside of her quite liked the idea of it.

Blake knew it was probably a bad idea, but she was really drawn to her. Every instinct she had was telling her to do what was natural. She didn’t want to shy away from her or from this connection they seemed to have, even though they’d only known each other for less than a day, in theory anyway. It seemed her body was making a choice to leave every door open between them—figuratively and literally.

Yang appeared appreciative. After a few moments, she straightened up and entered the room, coming to a stop only when she was right at the side of the bed where she squatted down and reached out a hand to touch Li’s cheek. She watched the wonder in the blonde’s face. She’d probably never been this close to a nursing baby before—hell, she’d probably never been this close to a baby of any kind before.

Alphas were extremely different than Omegas. They didn't have the same instincts, they couldn't get pregnant, they just couldn't do the same things and would never be able to experience it. She found Yang’s clinical interest endearing.

This whole thing must be rocking her world. She needed to remember that, and to cut her some slack if she ever got really uptight or if the stress of having them around blew up in some way. She’d had months to prepare herself; Yang hadn’t even had twenty-four hours.

Li shifted away from her, and she knew he was done, so she moved him up to burp and covered herself. Yang backed up but didn’t turn her eyes away from her. She was wearing an appreciative smirk, and Blake smirked right back.

She patted Li’s back until he let out the extra air. And some vomit... Yang was back to watching them from near the door and looked about ready to go back out to the living room when she shocked the hell out of her.

“Hey, come take him so I can get up.”

“Wait, huh? I’m-I’m good.” Yang looked her straight in the eye and shook her head firmly. Yeah, that was not going to fly.

“Well, the clueless Alpha excuse may have worked before, but it won’t now. Come on. It’s easy. Just pick him up in your hands so I can get up. Only thing you need to be careful of is his neck and head; he’s not strong enough yet to support it himself, so you have to make sure you have your fingers behind him, helping him out.”

“Aw jeez.” She seemed suspended by the doorway, unsure whether to come back or run away.

“Come on, Yang. I need your help. It really isn’t hard. He’s not going to bite you, I promise.”

“I’m gonna hurt him.”

“You’re not gonna hurt him. Just pick him up under his arms, put your fingers behind his neck to support his head. It’s simple.”

”I’ve...never really done this. I helped raise my baby sister but I was just a kid myself and she was _way_ older than Li is. It was hard enough trying to do that as an Alpha with no one to teach me.”

That made sense. With no one around to help her learn, just being a newly-presented Alpha that had to rely on instincts that she didn't have. That had to have been hard. Now she felt a little guilty for saying how easy it was, it was only natural for _Blake_. She forgot how different their instincts were sometimes. 

It was usually why Alpha/Omega couples waited to have children until after they marked one another, it was a team effort. It was better to wait until you _know_ you’re in it together. It could be awfully harder on your own, especially for a lone Alpha.

There was probably more to the story of her past, but she wasnt about to pry.

”Well, _I’ll_ teach you. C’mon, it’s okay.”

Yang did it. The Alpha tentatively walked over to the bedside, leaned down, and gently took Li face-to-face from her outstretched hands. She held him in a dangle at some distance from her own body, with Li clasped firmly in her calloused hands just as Blake had described. Yang followed her instructions to the letter, which was great since beyond that, she showed absolutely no intuition for smaller babies.

She forcibly repressed a chuckle, not wanting to undermine an Alpha’s fragile ego. Once she got to her feet, Blake scuttled around the two of them and moved straight into the living room, not worried about how far behind her Yang would be. She could hear Li begin to air grievances about the sudden loss of bodily contact, and Yang didn’t wait to air her own, either.

“Are you gonna take him? What if I drop him?”

Blake used her empty water glass as an excuse to lengthen their time together, bringing it back into the kitchen for a refill. “Oh, calm down, Yang. Just sit down with him and let him lay on you. He just wants body contact. You’re fine.”

Yang’s face reflected her anxiety, but she reclined on the couch with Li’s head propped up and did as suggested, and they were both rewarded with an almost immediate silence of baby noise. Li laid his cheek on her chest and settled right in. Yang’s face looked funny, as she peered down at the little one with a mix of distrust and bemusement. But when Blake reentered the room with her water and sat back comfortably on the other half of the couch, Yang pinned her with a piercing look, clearly nonplussed at her lack of maternal possessiveness.

From her vantage point, though, she was totally winning. The image of the two of them was adorable. It touched her, and she just gazed at them in a kind of blissed-out haze for a minute—or two, or three. Really, she had no idea how long it lasted.

Eventually, Blake felt a nudge on her leg, and she came to with a little jump.

“What?”

“You went to la-la-land,” she said with a smirk. Blake blushed, knowing she must have been able to track the turn of her thoughts easily. Yang knew how good she looked. And now, she knew how good she and Li looked together. They had both just learned that the combination, to her, pleased the Omega within.

She forced herself to look away, just to get her composure back. Water glass to the rescue.

By the time she returned her attention to Yang, she caught her gazing down at Li with a kind of wonder in her eyes. She might have even gone so far as to say adoration. Li really was beautiful, in his way. He was soft and sweet and warm like a little bean, and he inspired love in everyone he’d come across to this day.

Yang, it seemed, was just as susceptible as the rest of them. Her face had softened, and her body had relaxed under the small weight and warmth on her chest, and her hands had naturally rested lightly atop Li’s back, securing him in place. As proud mother to her little warrior, she loved seeing it.

“You look good together.” Apparently, her mouth was in a sharing mood—the words just popped out. She found that Yang had that effect on her; a normally private person. 

“Yeah?” Even Yang’s voice, in its softness, seemed warmer. Happier.

“Yeah.”

“Tell me about him.”

Wow. Yang had just given her the opening she’d had no idea she needed, but hadn’t known how to find.

“Li…Li is a miracle, to say the least.” Already Blake could feel tears welling up in her eyes, and she could feel her ears flatten against her head. Still, there was no way she was going to get through this tale without crying some, so she didn’t try to fight them. She grabbed some paper napkins from the pizza delivery on the coffee table, and began to share what Yang should know.

“He was born early— _really_ early, at thirty-two weeks.”

Yang’s face was blank, and she realized that that number probably meant nothing to her.

“Okay, so normal pregnancies last for forty weeks. He was eight weeks early. That’s close to a full two months. He was only four pounds, one ounce, and he lost weight after he was born. He was so... _tiny_. But he’s eleven weeks old now, so he’s doing pretty well, considering. But…” The tears started spilling, and she looked away, trying to control her breathing enough to go on. This was always the worst part, and she hadn’t yet learned how to tell it well.

“But…? Blake? That was one hell of a ‘but’. He looks okay to me, it can’t be that bad, right?”

“Li has a congenital heart defect. It was discovered when he was four weeks old—he was still in the hospital. He’d been having some trouble feeding, sweating through his onesies. Gods, I was so scared. But they did a bunch of tests and figured out what was wrong. There were some issues with the left side of his heart, and they were able to fix the worst part with surgery, but he’ll have to go back for more operations as he gets older and stronger. So it’s not over, not really. But he’s a fighter; he’ll make it. He’ll make it.” Her tears poured. Li would make it, but she wasn’t so sure about herself. She was still a wreck, every time she let herself think about it.

She didn't say it, but it was her fault. She _knew_ it was her fault no matter what the doctors said. Before she knew about Li, she’d been taking pheromone suppressants. She was an Omega, unmarked and alone, and that was just _asking_ for trouble if some unhinged Alpha came around and got clouded by the scent of her. Adam had made her paranoid of them at the time, she knew what they were capable of, so she took them. 

She’d heard the horror stories before and she just knew that had to be the reason.

Yang looked torn. Her hands pressed Li with even more warmth, more care now. More love. She didn't know how she could see that, but she could. At this point, lilac eyes were on her, and she looked upset and worried and disheartened, all at the same time. Like she didn’t know how to keep hold of Li, but she was also obviously unhappy about her crying, and wanted to do something to help. She couldn’t tell if it was a general uneasiness with emotions, or a reaction specific to her story and that of her baby.

Blake hated that she was so stereotypical. Sob story. It was her reality, though, and if it made her cry, she’d own it. She’d earned the tears.

“Okay, Blake. I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe…if this little guy is actually Sun’s—and I want to believe that he is, I’m telling you that right now—if he is, you have to know I’ll do anything I can to help you out. Okay? Like, how long is that test going to take? When’s the next surgery? Is he okay? He’s not going to suffocate on me or anything, is he? Should you take him from me now? I don’t want to hurt him.”

“No, no, he’s fine. He’s okay. He’s good right now. Look, he fell asleep on you. He’s good where he is.”

“I think you should take him back. Like, now.” Yang looked nervous. Actually, that was an understatement. She looked about ready to jump out of her own skin.

Blake got up and gathered him into her arms and kissed his head. The moment Yang was free, she jumped up and started pacing the room, running her hands through her hair. Blake watched her for a minute, then moved toward her room to put the baby down.

Yang body-blocked her, gently putting her hands on her shoulders and protectively keeping space for Li between them. “Where are you going?”

“I’m just gonna lay him down in his basket. It’ll be better for him to sleep where it’s quieter. He wakes up really easily.” And she disappeared for a minute into the room. Li was completely out, so she was back in less than a minute.

“You’re sure he’s okay in there? What if something happens and we don’t…we gotta get one of those radio things.”

“You mean a baby monitor? They have them all over the place. We can pick one up tomorrow if you want.”

“Yeah. Okay. We should totally do that. Might go tonight, get some stuff. Yeah. That’d be good, right?”

“Yes, Yang. That’d be really good.” Blake smiled at her. She knew it was dangerous, all the feelings she was having toward and about her, but she couldn’t help it. She was blown away by the leaps in generosity and kindness she was showing. She didn't know how long she’d be able to keep ignoring her wolf, and how it was overwhelmingly pushing her toward Yang.

“…so I can get that, too. And you probably need diapers, right? Anything else? Hey. Blake? Come back. You wandered off again.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” Blake shook her head, realizing that Yang had sat down at the dividing bar between the kitchen and living room and was making a list. Woman of action. She liked that.

“Check it out. Add on whatever you think you need, and I’ll make a run. No point in waiting, right? Store’s open. You finish the list, I’m gonna use the bathroom and then I’m gone. ’Kay?”

“’Kay.” And she applied herself to the list, adjusting it mostly for sizes and best-use frugality, as had been her MO recently.

When Yang came back from the bathroom, she took up the list, then came right up to her, front-to-front, and put her arms around her in a huge bear hug. Blake was a little bit shocked at first, not expecting that at all, but she held on for so long that she finally relaxed into it and breathed.

She smelled so good—she felt another jolt inside of her—but she also just felt so safe and warm, like a light that wouldn’t let her fall into the shadows again, and she breathed her in deeply.

Eventually, Yang pulled away a few inches, looked deeply into her eyes, and promised, “He’s gonna be okay, Blake. He will.”

She didn't know if she was saying it for her sake or for her own, but it was both a vow and a prayer. Blake nodded, and before she knew it, instinct had taken over the both of them. Yang slowly leaned in and pressed against her in a tender brush of lips.

Her lips were warm and soft and firm all at the same time. Yang didn’t try to deepen it– which was a surprising show of control in itself– but she didn’t make it quick either. It was exhilarating, just a small taste, a testing of the waters. But the intention behind it was more than that—it was a kind of confirmation that she wasn’t alone now. There was an empathy, a togetherness.

Blake took full advantage of the moment and breathed in the scent of citrus—she’s pretty sure Yang did the same to her—which only confirmed whatever chemistry they had together. Blake realized that she’d scent-marked her and found that she was okay with it. It felt natural, it felt _right_. She wanted the kiss to go on forever. She wanted her to _really_ mark her, bite her, which wasn't a good idea right now but, currently, she didn't care. 

But just as she was about to open her mouth to her, Yang pulled away, ending the connection.

Lilac eyes stayed on her mouth for several moments, and then shifted up to meet her eyes. They both just held that look, still breathing one another in.

Then Yang’s arms fell away. She picked up the shopping list and, pointing to the notepad on the counter, muttered, “Um, if you need me, my number’s there. I put it first in your scroll...”

_Well, that was...something._


End file.
